


How to Get Rid of Nightmares

by WalkingFan



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M, Masturbation, Slow Build, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-02 08:29:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2806103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WalkingFan/pseuds/WalkingFan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick is having nightmares and trying to deal with his anxiety. Then he catches Daryl doing something that he can't stop thinking about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rick was stumbling through the dark. He didn’t know where he was so he reached his hands out and felt walls at each side. He realized he’s walking down a long hallway and tries to reach for a door or a light switch but ends up touching nothing but smooth walls. He keeps walking forward, occasionally reaching his hands out to see if there’s anything in front of him, but all he feels is empty darkness. Then he hears something, a faint sound. Something that makes his heart start to pound. Crying.

Not just any crying, it sounded like the cries Judith makes. Rick steadily starts to quicken his pace, and in moments he’s running forward in the darkness. His hands are flailing about him, trying to find anything but they come back with nothing. Then he sees it. A soft light starts to glow in front of him. He runs even faster towards it, the crying steadily getting louder. He slowly starts to make out what the light is; the outline of a door. When he finally gets to it, he scrambles for the handle and rips it open.

Only to find that on the other side of the door is a massive hoard of walkers. The crying is gone and quickly replaced by the growls and moans of the undead, their grey flesh hanging from their bones as they spill from the doorway. Rick tries to back up, but they overtake him easily and he falls down. They start to claw at his legs and the last thing he sees is one crawling up his body before it descends on him and everything goes dark.

Rick quickly jolts awake and grabs for his knife he keeps within in easy reach. His heart is pounding out of his chest from the nightmare. He looks around and realizes he’s in his cell at the prison, lying on his cot. He kicked his blankets onto the floor, but that didn’t stop him from soaking his shirt through with sweat. He gently puts the knife back down and sits up.

Rubbing a hand over his face to clean off some of the sweat, he tries to catch his breath and calm his hammering heart. He puts his hand on his chest and takes deep breaths. Rick hasn’t had a good night’s rest in months. Nightmares plagued him, and during the day anxiety constantly gripped him. He frequently wondered what new trial would be at their door the next day, maybe even the next hour.

He had gotten the group to a good place, behind safe walls. He had lost Lori in the process, but gotten Judith in return and was grateful for that much. He should be relieved with where they had gotten, but he still couldn’t help with the anxiety that gnawed at him. Nor could he stop the nightmares. And they only seemed to get worse.

Once his heart started to beat like normal, Rick stood up and stretched. He peeked out his cell and could tell it was still the early, maybe five. He knew there was no way he was going to be able to go back to sleep. He debated for a minute, looked down at his sweat soaked shirt and decided a shower would probably help him feel better. He grabbed his towel and started for the showers.

On his way he took a quick glance in Carl’s cell. He was still fast asleep on his cot; arms all sprawled out, one foot off the bed. Totally oblivious to the world around him. Rick envied that kind of sleep, but he was glad his son could get it. He walked down a few more cells and actually walked into this one. It was Beth’s cell, but she had Judith cuddled in a crib next to her. Rick looked in the crib and slowly smiled.

She was asleep too. She looked so peaceful that Rick wanted to pick her up and hold her, hoping that maybe some of her peacefulness would rub off onto him. But he thought better of it and decided that he didn’t want to risk waking her up which in turn might wake Beth up. He didn’t have the heart to let her lose sleep when she had continued to be so helpful with Judith. He really needed to think of a way to repay her for all the kindness she had shown his family.

He walked out of the cell and finally makes his way to the showers. He opens the door and actually hears one of the showers going, which seems odd. No one is usually up this early. He rounds the corner and stops dead in his tracks, mouth open, breath caught in his throat. He’s seen men naked plenty of times. Showered next to guys more times than he can count. But this was different, and it made him feel different.

Daryl was there, under the showerhead with water beating down his body. He was facing the wall and had a hand up against it. His body was hunched over with the water pouring down his back. The sun was just rising, only letting a little light into the prison, but it was just enough for Rick to make out the fine details of Daryl’s body. He was on the thinner side, but every ounce of his body, starting from his hands and arms, down his back, all the way to his calves was nothing but muscle. Rick could even make out some of the little scars Daryl had crisscrossing his torso.

But his body wasn’t the only thing getting Rick’s attention. While one hand leaned against the wall, Daryl’s other hand was quickly working at the massive erection he had between his legs. He was rapidly pumping up and down on the thick member and making tiny sighs as he did so. Rick felt not just his face, but his entire body flush a deep crimson. He should leave, should have already left. But his feet were rooted to the spot, and he didn’t know why.

Suddenly Rick took a deep breath and the sound must have attracted Daryl’s attention, because he suddenly turned his water soaked head towards the door and saw Rick standing there, towel in hand. Rick felt like he had just been caught with porn under his bed, and with wide eyes, abruptly turned and practically ran out of the door back to his cell.

Once he got there, he leaned against the wall of his cell, huffing deep breaths in and out. He suddenly realized his pants were a little too snug and looked down to discover he had a huge hard on. He palmed himself in surprise and sighed at how good it felt. Then confusion quickly clouded his thoughts and he couldn’t help but wonder where this came from. He had never felt attracted to a man, but here he was rubbing himself through his jeans at the thought of Daryl getting himself off in the shower.

Rick’s thoughts were getting even more muddled and he started to worry that maybe he would run into Daryl when he went back to his cell. Rick had no idea what he was going to say to him and was even more worried about what Daryl would have to say. He quickly changed his shirt, pulled on his boots, and put his gun on his hip and walked out of the prison.

“Hey! What are you doing up so early?” Glenn called from the watchtower.

“Couldn’t sleep. I figured I’d get an early start. Maybe check the fences.” Rick replied.

“Alright. But it’s been pretty dead. No pun intended.” Glenn smiled at his own joke. Rick gave him a smile back and waved him off. He was only half paying attention anyway. He couldn’t get the thought of Daryl in that shower out of his head. He needed to clear his mind, so he started finding things to do around the prison to keep himself busy.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning had gone quickly and before Rick knew it, it was close to noon. He had found plenty to do around the prison yard, and while it was all good busy work, none it could completely capture Rick’s attention. He found himself working in the garden, sitting on his knees, trowel pushed into the soil. He used his sleeve to wipe some of the sweat from his face and sat his hands on his thighs. 

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that maybe these feelings weren’t completely out of the blue. Maybe he had always had this attraction to Daryl and he just hadn’t quite realized it until today. Daryl was one of the few people in this prison that he completely trusted. He was the most dependable man that he had and he never had to worry about him. If he had a problem and needed an honest answer, he knew he could always go to the hunter who was always straight forward with him. He was always a true friend. 

Friendships like that don’t come around very often and Rick realized that maybe he had even taken that for granted. And now after this morning, a new side of Daryl had been made apparent to Rick. Daryl was attractive. Not just attractive but sexy. Something about him stirred something in Rick. He hadn’t felt anything like that in a long time. Probably not since he started seeing Lori all those years ago. 

“Something on your mind, son?” 

Rick almost jumped in surprise at the intrusion on his deep thoughts. But it was only Hershel and Rick knew he always meant well. He was surprised he didn’t hear the man come up behind him, walking on his crutch out in the field. He must have been thinking a lot harder than he realized, and it must have shown on his face if it caused Hershel to come all the way out here. 

“Nah Hershel. Just thinking about the crop is all,” Rick replied, standing up and facing the man, trying his best to seem nonchalant. It was hard to throw the old man off. He could usually see right through Rick, but this was one subject he felt was probably best to not discuss with him. Rick almost smiled at the thought of it. What kind of reaction would Herschel have to Rick saying he was having impure thoughts about their best hunter?

“I talked to Glenn. He said you’ve been out here since daybreak. Think maybe it’s time to take a rest? Get out the sun and maybe get some food in ya? We don’t need our leader passing out from exhaustion.”

“Well…I guess so.” Rick was hesitant. He had managed to not see Daryl all day, and he wasn’t sure where he was right now. But the thought of seeing him again made his heart beat almost twice as fast. He still didn’t know what he was going to say to the man. 

He picked up his trowel and put it back with the other tools, and started the walk back to the prison with Hershel at his side. Rick always made sure to go at a reasonable pace when he walked the man. They did the usual small talk about what needed to be done around the prison and what supplies needed to be gathered on the next run. They walked past the gate and waved to Maggie in the guard tower. Once they entered the prison, they headed to the main cellblock where everyone meets. 

It must be lunchtime because everyone is grouped around tables eating and chatting with one another. As soon as Rick enters, he quickly scans the room and finds Daryl at a table with Carl, Glenn and Beth, who also has Judith in her lap. Rick is more nervous than ever now, especially when Daryl quickly glances his way when he walks in and then just as quickly gives his attention back to a rapidly talking Carl. Rick feels his whole face flush, just like it did this morning. Rick grabs a plate of food from Carol, nods his thanks, and walks to the table where his family sits. 

Once he’s taken his place, which just so happens to be next to Carl but across from Daryl, he motions to Beth that he can take Judith. He sits his young daughter in his lap and gives her the bottle that Beth had been feeding her. Beth gets up from her place and goes to another table, probably to be in a conversation that doesn’t involve the comic that Carl keeps going on about. 

Daryl has his crossbow on the table, completely disassembled, meticulously cleaning it. He takes short breaks from his concentration on the crossbow to glance at Carl and let him know he’s listening and occasionally replies to some of the things Carl mentions. 

That was another thing Rick loved about Daryl, the way he was with his kids. He never disregarded Carl; always listened to what he had to say. Rick couldn’t say that for everyone around here, even himself. It was hard to be a leader and a parent, a fine line Rick found hard to balance between. Daryl even took to Judith as soon as she was born, christening her “Lil Asskicker.” He didn’t look like a man who could handle babies, but he seemed to hold his own pretty well around her. 

Carl continued his story, but Rick was only half listening. He fed Judith and played with her, eating his food in between her coos and smiles. Occasionally he would sneak glances at Daryl, and once in a while he’d catch the hunter looking at him. Their eyes would lock for half a second and they’d both look away. Carl finally finished his story and Rick chatted with him for a minute, asking a few questions about his day. When they finished, Carl got up and grabbed everyone’s plates. 

Rick looked around and was surprised to find that almost everyone had left already. He was so caught up in looking busy with Judith and sneaking glances at the man across from him that he hadn’t noticed that lunchtime was over. Carl waved to his dad and left the main cellblock. The only people left in the room, besides a couple stragglers at the other end, were Rick, Judith, and Daryl. 

Daryl seemed to be focusing extra hard on putting his crossbow back together, something Rick was sure he could do blindfolded with one arm tied behind his back. This situation felt like it was getting more awkward by the second and Rick felt like he should say something before Daryl got up and left. 

“Hey, uh…..I’m uhhh….I’m sorry about this morning,” Rick manages to stutter out. He feels his cheeks turn about 10 shades brighter as he nervously bounces Judith on his knee. He runs a hand through his hair and rubs his jaw line to try and hide the anxiety he’s clearly displaying. 

“Sorry for what?” Daryl questions him, putting together the last pieces of the crossbow. He glances up and looks at Rick. 

“Sorry for walking in on ya like that. I didn’t know anyone was in there. If I had known…..” Rick trails off, not really sure what to say. Rick thinks about it for a second and realizes that if he could go back and change it, he wouldn’t. Then he’d never have that hot image seared into his brain, and he kind of liked it there. 

“If ya had known what? You wouldn’t a stood there starin? Cause from what I seen, I think you liked what you saw.” Daryl said as he got up from the table, grabbing his crossbow. He looked at Rick one more time, which seemed to be full of mixed emotions, and walked out the doorway that led to the prison exit.

Rick wasn’t sure what just happened, but he felt more embarrassed than ever. He sat there with his daughter on his lap while she reached up to touch his beet red face. He wasn’t sure what to do right at that moment, but he was pretty sure that the hunter’s face was just as red at Rick’s when he left the table.


	3. Chapter 3

Rick didn’t see Daryl anymore for the rest of the day. Instead of going back outside, he took care of some things inside the prison. He did an inventory of all their supplies and started to make a list of the things they needed. They were doing pretty good on food. When your group had a hunter like Daryl, it wasn’t too hard to find something to fill your belly with.

What they mostly needed were medical supplies. Once Rick finished checking supplies and making the list, it was dinnertime. He was nervous he was going to have another run in with Daryl. But when he entered to the main room, he wasn’t there.

Rick felt a strange mix of emotions. He was relieved that Daryl wasn’t there, less of a chance to have another awkward conversation with him, but it also gave him slight anxiety. The need to know where the hunter was nagged at him.

After he grabbed his food, he sat down with the main group: Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, Beth, Carol, and Carl. The group had a conversation going, and Rick tried to follow along but he kept looking around to see if Daryl was going to walk in.

“Hey Rick. Whatcha lookin’ for?” Maggie finally asked after the 3rd or 4th look around the room.

“Uh…nothin’. You seen Daryl?” Rick tried to seem as nonchalant as possible, but he was sure he was failing miserably.

“Yea. He swapped with me on the guard tower. I was supposed to be on watch tonight, but he seemed to want it, so I let him.” Maggie shrugged and took another bite off her plate. “Did you need him for anything?”

“Not really……Just curious s’all.” Rick tried to focus on his plate and Maggie gave him an inquisitive look, but thankfully she let it go and went back to the group conversation. He tried to appear indifferent the rest of the meal, but worry gnawed at him.

Was Daryl angry with him? Did he ruin one of the best friendships he’d made since the world had turned upside down? Had things permanently changed between them or could they go back to the friendship they had before? These questions plagued him endlessly.

After dinner, Rick decided that he would take Judith tonight and give Beth the free time that she deserved. He almost debated on going to talk to Daryl in the guard tower first, but ultimately he decided against it. He still wanted to sort through his thoughts before he broached that topic.

He gave Judith her bath and read her a story as he rocked her to sleep. He could tell she wanted to fight him, but as soon as he started reading to her, the sound of his voice lulled her right to sleep. Every time Rick did this, it warmed his heart and made him want to protect her all the more from this world that they lived in. Once he placed her in the crib, Rick laid down on his cot and it wasn’t long before he was fast asleep.

Rick was walking through the woods and it was dusk. He looked to his right and Daryl was walking next to him; the slow, quiet walk the hunter used in the woods. Rick always felt like a giant walking with him because he stepped on every twig that crossed his path. Daryl was scanning the woods with his crossbow and he seemed on high alert. Rick knew he should be doing the same, but for some reason he couldn’t keep his eyes off the hunter.

Rick went to open his mouth and say something. He didn’t know what to say, but he felt like he needed to talk. This silence between them was deafening. But before he could get a word out, the ground suddenly opened up beneath Daryl, and he quickly fell in. Rick ran to the edge of what looked like a pit and looked down.

Daryl had fallen into a pit of walkers and was trying his hardest to fight them off. Rick was suddenly terrified and dropped to his stomach at the side of the pit, reaching an arm in and yelling for Daryl to grab it. Daryl tried to fight his way over to Rick, but the more walkers he killed, the more there seemed to be. Rick scrambled to his knees and tried to find his weapon.

He grabbed at his sides and found nothing. He looked around on the ground near him, hoping maybe he dropped his gun. But again he came back empty handed. Rick started to panic now and tried to find anything to fight the walkers off with. He ran around trying to make a weapon out of anything, but nothing seemed to work right. He ran back to the pit just in time to see Daryl get overtaken by the horde of undead.

Rick dropped to his knees and started to cry. Tears streamed down his face as he put his head in his hands. He felt like a failure; he couldn’t save the man who meant so much to him. He rocked back and forth and quietly whispered his name over and over. “Daryl, Daryl, Daryl……”

Rick woke from the nightmare panting for breath. He grabbed his bed to ground himself as the contents of what he just witnessed while he was asleep washed over him. His heart was thumping beyond control. Rick brought a hand to his face and realized that he had cried in his sleep as tears started to dry on his cheeks.

He glanced in Judith’s crib and saw the baby was still sound asleep. He got up off his cot and started to work a small back-and-forth pace in the cramped cell. This nightmare was different from the others.  The others had been quick, and while they kept Rick from a peaceful sleep, he could wake from them, look at his family and feel at ease.

But with this nightmare, looking at Judith and knowing she was still there, safe in her slumber, didn’t help to alleviate his stress at all. If anything he felt more worried than ever. You didn’t have to be a dream interpreter to know what this was about. Rick was scared of losing Daryl.

Rick was determined. He decided right then and there that he was going to talk to Daryl in the morning and clear the air between them. He couldn’t rest one more night without knowing where they stood. Good or bad, he had to know what the hunter was thinking. And even if Daryl decided that their friendship had changed for the worst, as long as he would still stay with the group, Rick would be happy. He’d rather know Daryl was here and safe rather than out in the world where anything could happen to him, even if it meant losing a good friend.

Rick laid back down on his cot and tried to get a few more hours of sleep before the sun started to rise. It took a long time for his mind to stop playing worst-case scenarios in his head, and he finally started to doze back off just as the tips of sunlight started to touch the sky. 


	4. Chapter 4

When Rick woke up, he realized he had slept later than he had intended. Glancing out his cell, he figured it must be a little after nine. He glanced at Judith’s crib, but just as he had suspected, it was empty. Beth must of come by and saw that he was still sleeping and grabbed Judith for him.

He grabbed his towel and went to the showers, except this this time there was nobody in there to turn Rick’s world upside down. He quickly got clean, went back to his cell and put fresh clothes on. When he came to the main room, there were only a few people lingering after breakfast.

He saw Beth towel drying some silverware as she cooed at Judith in her highchair. Rick smiled and walked over. He picked Judith up and spinned her in the air for a second before bringing her back down to cuddle in his arms.

“Good morning, sleepy head.” Beth smiled as she teased him.

“Good morning to you too. You should have woken me. I shouldn’t have slept so late anyways.” Rick replied as he grabbed a can of mix fruit. Once you missed breakfast, you had to fend for yourself.

“Nah, you looked like you needed the sleep. Did she keep you up last night?” Beth asked curiously. She must have been able to read the wearisome look in his eyes.

“Nah….she did good last night. Just been having some trouble sleeping.” Rick let it drop at that, not wanting to go into detail about his nightmares with someone who didn’t need the added worry. He sat Judith back in her chair and sat down at the table next to her, eating his can of fruit. “What’s everyone doing this morning?”

“Getting ready for the run today, I guess.”

“Run? When did we decide to do a run? I thought we were waiting a couple days.” Rick was surprised. Usually they talked about those things as a group. He needed to stop sleeping in apparently.

“Well….Daryl mentioned going ahead and doing it today, this morning. He kinda seemed like he wanted to get out of the prison for a bit. Glenn said he’d go with him, so I think they’re out in the yard getting the car ready.” Beth seemed a little uncomfortable having to be the one to tell Rick all this. She knew he was always in the loop.

Rick was quiet for a second. He thought something really must have been wrong if Daryl had decided to do a run early without talking to him about it. He finished his food quickly, threw the can away, and kissed Judith on the head. He nodded to Beth, who had a slightly worried look on her face, as he walked out of the prison.

Sure enough, when he got outside, he saw Daryl throwing some bags into the trunk as Glenn put some gas into the tank. Rick stood there for a minute as he watched them get things in order. Glenn greeted him friendly enough, but Daryl didn’t even acknowledge him. Rick tried to maintain an even disposition, but the lack of an acknowledgement irked him slightly.

Finally, Daryl shut the trunk after double checking their gear and looked at Rick as he lit a smoke. “Something I can help you with, Sheriff?”

Rick bristled at the icy sound in Daryl’s voice, not to mention that he called him Sheriff, something he hadn’t done in a long while. Glenn sensed the tension building between the two and quickly extracted himself from the awkward situation he’d found himself in. Rick watched as he walked away, waiting to talk until he was sure they wouldn’t be overheard.

“What’s going on Daryl? I thought we were waiting to do this run. We’ve plenty of food, and the medical supplies coulda waited a few more days.” Rick was slow with his words, standing with his hands on his hips. He didn’t want to create any more discord between himself and the hunter.

Daryl leaned against the trunk as he blew out smoke. “Well….I figured we could go head with it. Glenn seemed pretty eager when I mentioned it this morning.” The hunter shrugged his shoulders, crossed and then uncrossed his legs.

“Is this because of us? Cause of what happened yesterday morning?” Rick questioned him, knowing that a twinge of worry had worked its way into his voice. Daryl quickly shrugged again and turned away from him. Rick wasn’t having any of that.

“Hey, don’t be like that.” Rick walked forward and put a hand on Daryl’s shoulder and turned him around. He was half expecting the shaggy haired man to brush him off, but he let him keep his hand there. “Look. I really am sorry for what happened. I don’t want one moment like that to ruin one of the best friendships I’ve ever had. I can’t depend on anyone like I can depend on you, Daryl. I understand it if you’re mad…”

“Mad? Nah… I ain’t mad….Embarrassed is more like it,” Daryl cut in before Rick could continue. He looked everywhere but at Rick after he said that.

“Embarassed? I’m the one who’s embarrassed. You didn’t think anyone was gonna come barging in on ya that early in the morning.” Rick was suddenly too aware of how his hand was still on Daryl’s shoulder and how hard the hunter’s body felt, even through his clothes. He looked at the contact between them and before he knew what he was saying, he blurted the words, “Trust me, there’s no part of you that you need to be embarrassed about.”

Rick felt himself blush from head to toe at what he just said. He quickly looked at Daryl’s face to see if the comment had registered. The way Daryl quickly looked down when their eyes met, and the slow tinge of red that was working its way up his neck, let Rick know that it had. Before he could say anything else, Glenn walked back up.

“Hey Rick. You coming with us?” Rick let his hand fall from Daryl’s shoulder and tried to formulate a response after what had just transpired between him and the hunter. He started to shake his head and say he was going to let them take this one when Daryl piped up.

“We can always use ya.” Daryl met his eye and stomped his cigarette out, taking the last bag out of Glenn’s hands.

“Yea man. Come on,” Glenn encouraged him. Rick’s heart started beating a little bit faster at the response from Daryl. He took that to mean that Daryl wanted him to come along. Why, he didn’t know, but he felt like it was the first good sign that things were going to be okay between them, and he smiled.

“Yea, okay. Give me ten minutes and I’ll meet y’all back out here.” Daryl gave him a nod and Glenn smiled. Rick ran back inside and told Carl he was going to head out on the run, and that they should be back by nightfall. He gave him a quick hug and ran to find Beth.

He found her putting Judith down for a nap and told her he was heading out with other two. She seemed relieved that the confusion from earlier was resolved and assured Rick that she would watch Judith for him. He grabbed some extra water and met the other two back out at the car.

Glenn had already gotten in the backseat and Daryl in the driver’s side, so that left Rick to sit up front with Daryl. He slid into the seat and met Daryl’s eyes as he clipped his seatbelt on, giving him a half smile. He was the only one who wore a seatbelt anymore, but it was one habit he couldn’t break from his old life. They pulled to the gate and Maggie opened it to let them out, blowing a kiss at Glenn as they drove away.


	5. Chapter 5

They had decided to check an old pharmacy in a town they hadn’t really gone through yet. They had driven by the outskirts of it once or twice to see how overrun it was. Once they decided it wasn’t too bad, they marked it as their next supply run.

It was about 40 minutes from the prison. Thankfully Glenn was in the car with them, because neither Rick nor Daryl were very talkative types on car rides. They would go back and forth between chatting about small stuff to stretches of silence. During the silence, Rick would occasionally shoot side glances at Daryl, trying to figure out what was on his mind. Daryl caught him looking a few times and would start talking about supplies they needed to get, just to break the silence.

They pulled into the small town soon enough. There seemed to be a thick layer of dust covering everything, as if it hadn’t been touched in years. There were a few straggling walkers dotting the sidewalks and laying in the road. Once they pulled in front of the old pharmacy, they all looked at each other, readied their knives, and gave one another a quick nod.

They jumped out of the car and swiftly dispatched all of the walkers in a two block radius. They didn’t want any surprises. They met back at the car and grabbed the empty bags they had loaded in the trunk. Daryl took the initiative and walked up to the pharmacy, tapping on the front glass to attract any walkers inside.

Surprisingly, only one hobbled to the front, scratching at the glass, hoping for a meal. Daryl opened the door, while Rick stood to the side, knife in position. Once he managed to limp to the door, Rick brought his knife down fast and Glenn dragged him out of the way.

They entered the old store which had unexpectedly been barely touched. Most of the merchandise still sat on the shelves, covered in a quarter inch of dust. They did a quick sweep of the small town pharmacy, double checking for any stragglers. Once they were in the clear, they set to work.

“You guys take what’s behind the counter. I’ll get the stuff on shelves. There’s not too much here, so it shouldn’t take too long.” Glenn gave out the order and started grabbing the over the counter pain meds.

Daryl and Rick made their way to the back counter. The pharmacy door had been busted open, but whoever did it must have been looking for something specific because most of the medications seemed to still be here.

They split up and each picked one end to start on in the small back room. They gathered a variety; mostly things that Hershel thought could be useful in the coming months: antibiotics, allergy pills, and some of the heavier pain meds. After about half an hour, the two had met in the middle and were finishing going through the last shelf.

They would glance at each other every now and then, sometimes grabbing the same box and their hands would touch. The contact would make Rick’s skin tingle and he wondered if Daryl felt the same sensation. The silence was starting to feel awkward between them, and Rick was debating on what to say when Daryl was the one to break the tension.

“So…what were you doin’ up so early then?” Rick froze at the question. He knew Daryl meant yesterday morning when he walked in on him in the showers. He looked down at the pill bottle he had in his hand and tried to think of an answer. He thought of making something up and dodging the question, but he knew there wasn’t any point in that. This was Daryl he was talking to.

“Nightmares. Can’t seem to stop having them. Feels like they wake me up almost every night.” Rick put the pills down and ran a hand through his hair. “I thought that they would get better, but they only get worse. It’s gets harder and harder to sleep anymore.”

Daryl stopped going through the shelves and gave Rick his full attention. “What’re they ‘bout?”

“Everything….Nothing…Always full of walkers. Sometimes Carl and Judith. Sometimes it’s just me, dying. Sometimes….I lose you…” He was hesitant to say the last part, but Rick was tired of holding back with Daryl. It felt good to get these troubles of his chest.

He suddenly felt a hand on top of his own. He looked down at his left hand he had resting on the shelf, and saw Daryl’s hand placed on his. Rick turned his hand over and gripped Daryl’s hand, feeling his heart speed up as the hunter gripped his hand just as tight. Rick watched as his thumb unconsciously started to move back and forth, rubbing small circles into the back of Daryl’s palm.

He almost didn’t want to look up, afraid that it would break the spell, but he had to know what the hunter was thinking. He slowly moved his eyes up and they met the man standing on the opposite side of the shelf. His face was, again, a mask of mixed emotions.

The main thing Rick saw was concern, for him, and maybe a little worry. He also saw something that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Before he had more time to search through the hunter’s deep eyes, they heard a shout from Glenn.

“Hey guys! It looks like a few have piled up out front! You wanna get up here?” he called from the somewhere near the doors.

Rick and Daryl broke their contact, even though neither one of them seemed to be happy to do it. They picked up the bags that they had filled and dashed to the front. Sure enough, there was about half a dozen walkers that had made it to the front of the pharmacy outside. They must have heard the car pulling into town earlier and followed the noise.

Typically they would go out the front and kill any stragglers, but with this many they didn’t want to take any chances.

“Alright. I saw a back door. I think we should head out that way. Glenn, you go left, and come around to the front. Get their attention while me and Daryl go right and come around behind them. Daryl, take out what you can with the bow, the rest we’ll take down with our knives. Try to keep any noise to a minimum.” Rick laid out the plan for them. Both Glenn and Daryl nodded in agreement.

They picked up their bags, threw them over their shoulders, and quietly made their way to the back door. Rick opened it and peeked out. Everything looked clear behind the store and the three men filed out the door, shutting it quietly behind them. Glenn went left and reached the building corner. He turned and waited for the other two to reach the same point on their end.

Once they determined the sides were all clear, Rick nodded at Glenn and they split. Rick and Daryl made it to the front first, and they waited for Glenn to get the walker’s attention. Glenn darted out and ran across the street, standing opposite of the pharmacy. He made just enough noise to get a walker or two to turn around, which was enough to get the other to turn as well.

Daryl moved in as soon as their attentions turned, and he swiftly took two down with arrows to the head. By that point Rick and Daryl had walked far enough forward to be directly behind the small group. Rick used his knife and took one down with a stab directly in the back of the head while Daryl was reloading his crossbow after the first shot.

Once Daryl took down his second, they had gotten the attention of two others. Rick grabbed one by the scruff of his shirt and stabbed it right in the eye. He was heavier than he looked and when he fell, Rick had to work to shift the walker’s weight off himself.

Daryl took out his own knife and hastily stabbed the other one who was a little too close to Rick for Daryl’s comfort. Glenn took care of the last walker, who had made his way to the other side of the street. They all walked back to the car and took a look at the items the pharmacy had offered them.

Once they were satisfied with what they had collected, they debated on going into the convenience store next door. They figured while they were still here, they might as well check it out. It turned out to have much less than the pharmacy, but they picked their way through it anyways.

They went back to the car and ate a small lunch before they headed back. Daryl and Rick crawled back into the front seats, while Glenn ran to the back of the car to take a leak. While they waited, Rick took the chance, using all the courage he had, to grab Daryl’s hand one more time.

He placed it over Daryl’s on the gear shift and gave a quick squeeze, which Daryl silently returned. Rick gave him a quick smile, and he felt an amazing amount of relief when Daryl gave him a half smile back. They quickly broke the contact when Glenn opened the car door to get in, but Rick probably smiled more than he should have on the drive back to the prison.


	6. Chapter 6

They pulled back into the prison in the early afternoon. Just about everyone met them outside and it was a group effort to unload the car and organize the new supplies.

“Run into any trouble?” Hershel asked. He sat by one of the outside tables and sorted through the medications they had brought back.

“Nah. Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Rick replied, giving a quick smile to Daryl and Glenn, who both smiled back.

“Good, son. These should tide us over for a few months.” Hershel seemed pleased that their stores had been re-stocked.

Once everything had been unloaded, they brought it all inside, and Rick sat down for a minute with Carl, bouncing Judith on his knee. He gave her a bottle and chatted with Carl about what they saw. Carl was always eager to get outside the prison, but Rick rarely let him. He wasn’t too keen on his young son leaving the safety that walls of the prison provided.

He didn’t see Daryl around, but he wasn’t too concerned. They had seemed to work out some of their problems and Rick didn’t feel so anxious anymore after what had transpired that morning. Rick’s hand still tingled from the contact.

Rick then realized that he had watch duty tonight in the guard tower, so once Judith was done with her bottle, he passed her off to Carl.

“Watch Judith for me Carl. I think I’m gonna take a nap since I’m on watch tonight. Will you wake me just before dinner?” Carl gave him a quick nod in response. “Don’t go handing her off to Beth either. She watches her enough. Give her a break and be a good big brother.” Carl rolled his eyes at his dad and smiled.

Rick snorted a quick laugh and ruffled his son’s hair. He headed out and walked to his cell. Once inside he pulled the blanket closed over it, trying to block out some of the sunlight. He kicked off his boots and took his gun from hip and sat it down.

He fluffed his pillow a little and laid out on his cot, taking a nice, slow stretch. He closed his eyes and tried to doze off, but he realized he was still a little too wired from the run. Everything that had happened kept running through his mind. The way he talked with Daryl, the hand holding; he couldn’t remember the last time he was that open and intimate with someone.

It had felt good; almost like an entire weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Then his mind shifted gears, and what he saw yesterday morning played through his head. Walking into the showers, his breath catching in his throat, the water pouring down Daryl’s body.

There was no question that the hunter had an amazing physique. Living in this world, where the dead walked the earth and you were constantly fighting for your life, kept your body in good condition. Rick had always known Daryl had strong arms, but after seeing him in the shower, he couldn’t stop thinking about the rest of him.

His strong back and the way his muscles rippled down it. The tattoos that he had scattered about his torso and arms; Rick couldn’t stop thinking about running his fingers over each one. The sinewy muscles of his legs that led up to his tight, round ass.

He couldn’t forget about the best part, seeing him work his hand up and down his hard length. He only saw it from the side, but from what he saw, Daryl had nothing to be ashamed of. His erection had stood straight out, with a slight curl upward, and what he lacked in thickness, he made up for in length. Rick reached his hand down and palmed his crotch, not surprised to find himself fully hard in his jeans.

His swollen member was pushing hard against his zipper, and Rick decided to free himself from his constraints. He quickly undid his belt, unbuttoned himself, and pulled down the fly of his pants. He wiggled them, along with his boxers, down just past his hips, giving himself plenty of room to work. 

He gripped his cock and sighed at how good the contact felt. With the stress of life at the prison and the typical lack of privacy, Rick hardly ever found the time or the energy to take care of himself. No wonder Daryl was up so early for a shower.

Rick started to stroke himself up and down, his hips occasionally pushing up with small, uncontrollable thrusts. He took a finger and rubbed it around the head of his cock, picking up a drop of pre-cum and swirling it around. A small shiver went up his spine from the pleasure. He went back to stroking himself, letting his imagination run free as he did so.

He imagined he was back in the showers, watching Daryl run his hand up and down his member, again and again. Instead of running out when Daryl turned his head, Rick stood his ground, watching the man gratify himself. He fantasized that the hunter took the challenge, turned around and stood under the water, making eye contact with Rick as he started to quicken his pace, letting small sighs of pleasure escape his mouth.

Rick started to speed up his own pace, working himself in time to the fantasy. He took his unoccupied hand and cupped himself, giving a small squeeze. He could feel the pressure building and knew he wasn’t going to last much longer.

In his fantasy, Daryl didn’t last either, and threw his head back as he started to shoot across the tile floor. He let out little grunts of pleasure and brought his head upright to meet Rick’s eyes, milking the last of his orgasm from himself. He then brought his hand to his mouth and licked up the droplets of cum from his fingers that the water hadn’t washed away.

Rick started to come undone at the thought of this and pulled his shirt up quickly as he started to spill his load onto his stomach. He brought his hand up that he was cupping himself with and muffled his groans from the intense orgasm. His heart was pounding as he finished and he laid there for a minute, exhausted from the exertion.

After he caught his breath, he reached for a rag on the floor and cleaned himself up. He tossed it into a corner and did his pants back up. Once he righted his appearance, he turned onto his side and felt sleep start to overtake him.


	7. Chapter 7

“C’mon Dad. Wake up.” Rick felt a jostling on his shoulder. He peeked open his eyes and saw Carl standing over him, Judith propped up on his hip. Carl leaned her down and she put her tiny hands on Rick’s stubbled face and gave him one of her cute smiles.

Rick’s face turned into a big grin; he liked being woken up this way. He pulled Judith out of Carl’s arms and played airplane with her for a second before he brought her into his chest and kissed her on the top of her head. He sat up with her and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“What time is it, son?” Rick asked. He handed Judith back to her brother as he grabbed his boots, starting to pull them on.

“Dinnertime. It smells great. The ladies made rabbit stew since Daryl came back with a handful after checking his traps.” So that’s what he did when they got back, Rick thought to himself. After he holstered his gun, he took Judith back and they walked out of the cell together.

Carl wasn’t lying, the stew made the whole prison smell great. Rick felt his stomach come to life and he couldn’t wait to eat. Everyone was already sitting at the tables with bowls in front of them, chattering over the great meal they were having.

Rick and Carl grabbed full bowls and looked around the room for a seat. Rick spotted empty seats at a table with Daryl and Beth, and he smiled as he sat down next to hunter. Before he said anything, he couldn’t help but take a bite of the aromatic meal in front of him.

“Oh man….this is good,” Rick managed to say between mouthfuls. Daryl gave a short laugh at Rick shoving the food down his mouth.

“Yea. Ladies did good tonight.” Daryl said as he ate the last spoonful from his, now empty, bowl.

“You should take some credit too. The rabbits came from your traps.” Rick said as he nudged Daryl in the side with his elbow. The hunter lifted his shoulders into a quick shrug, but he gave a half smile at the compliment anyway.

Everyone was in a good mood tonight with the fresh supplies and a tasty meal, so the talking and laughter seemed endless. Judith got passed around to everyone at their table; every person seemed to want to hold her. She giggled in each set of arms, but seemed the happiest sitting in Daryl’s lap.

It made Rick content to see his daughter so happy in the hunter’s arms. He never talked to her in a baby voice, but she always seemed interested in whatever Daryl had to say, watching him with her own form of deep concentration. He picked her up and suddenly made a face.

“I think s’time for Lil Asskicker to have a diaper change,” Daryl said, using the name he christened her with when she was born. Rick couldn’t help but smirk every time he called her that. He went to go grab her for the diaper change, but Beth beat him to it.

“I got her Rick. You stay here. It’s almost time for you to head to the guard tower anyways.” Beth picked her up and whisked her away. He gave her a quick nod of thanks.

“Glad she’s here. I ain’t really one for changing diapers.” Daryl muttered and gave a little laugh. Carl and Rick laughed with him; the image of Daryl changing a dirty diaper wasn’t something anyone could really picture. At the end of his chuckle, Rick patted a hand on Daryl’s knee and instinctively left it there, only realizing he had done so after a few seconds.

Before he could move it, he felt Daryl’s hand cover his, and once again he felt as though his whole hand had gone up in flames. Rick looked down, as if he could see straight through the table and watch their hands touch, and glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Daryl doing the same. He was sure they both had matching pink blushes working its way up their necks.

Rick felt like an addict, suddenly craving more contact. He did the only thing he could think of and leaned his leg over and touched his knee to Daryl’s. Daryl lifted his hand, and before Rick could have a slight inner protest at the loss, he felt the hunter’s hand squeeze his own knee. Rick felt his heart swell at this, and he looked up and met the blushing hunter’s eyes.

“Are you guys even listening?!” Carl practically yelled, waving his hands in front of their faces. Apparently Carl had been talking the whole time, and neither had been paying any attention. With their moment ended, they broke the contact and gave their interest back to Rick’s son who didn’t stop for a second.

About ten minutes later, Rick had to cut into Carl’s tangent and excuse himself for the guard tower. He gave Carl a quick hug and kissed Judith on the head as Beth was just bringing her back from the diaper change. He thanked Beth for watching her tonight. As he was leaving his eyes met Daryl’s, and the hunter gave him a slight nod and a wave. Rick smiled, returned the wave, and walked out of the prison.

He climbed his way to the guard tower and opened the door. Glenn was sitting in the tall stool they had sitting by one of the windows. He smiled at Rick and a look of relief flooded his face now that his shift was over.

“You better get down there and grab some of that stew before it’s all gone,” Rick said to him.

“I know. I could smell it from out here. I’m so hungry.” Glenn got up from the chair and gathered up his things that he brought with him. Guard duty could get boring, sometimes you had to bring things to entertain yourself. More than once they had caught Maggie up here with him, or vice versa, and the group teased them relentlessly for it.

Rick bid him good night and Glenn left the tower. Rick did a quick look around the perimeter and everything seemed pretty quiet. There were a few stragglers sprinkled around the fence, but nothing that needed immediate attention.

The night went slowly and Rick only had his thoughts for company. He mostly thought of Daryl and how things were slowly changing between them. Before, he was afraid they couldn’t get back to being the friends that they were, but now he could see that they were becoming more than just friends. And that gave Rick hope. He hadn’t looked forward to anything in a long time. He had only just existed, trying to get by. And that wasn’t a way to live.

Now he could sense a shift in the air, in his mood, and he felt different. He felt like he was alive again, after months of trying to act strong in front of the others but feeling weaker and weaker every time he was alone. Rick then realized something. He didn’t have a nightmare earlier, when he slept before dinner. That must have been the first time he hadn’t had a nightmare in months. Even when he napped for a few hours, he would usually wake up in a cold sweat, clutching his chest to slow his pounding heart.

The thought put a smile on Rick’s face, and he sat in the guard tower in a good mood. A few hours went by and he took a walk around the tower, checking the prison boundaries. Everything seemed clear until he got to the west side of the tower. It was pretty dark and that made it harder to see further away, but something looked off at the fence.

Rick grabbed the rifle with a scope on it that they kept in the tower at all times. He pointed it to the west end of the prison and looked closely. From what he could see, it looked like a group of walkers had been attracted by something and had all grouped at one spot in the fence.

Rick wondered if the smell of dinner had attracted them, and made a quick mental note of the group needing to be more careful about things like that. The fence had already started to bow inward, and from Rick’s count, they had about 15 to 20 walkers they had to deal with.

Rick reacted quickly. He put down the rifle and swiftly made his way down. The first thing he did was run into the prison to let the others know. He ran to the cell with the first sleeping person in it and told them to wake the others.

He then ran to their weapons cache and grabbed the ones they used for dispatching walkers through the fence. Before he knew it, he had Glenn, Maggie, Carol, Daryl and a few others at his back grabbing the weapons he handed out. They made their way out of the prison and worked their way around, to the part of the fence with all the trouble.

They worked in groups, taking down the walkers in a decent amount of time. Everyone stood around for a minute catching their breath and letting their adrenaline levels drop back down to normal. The fence had some obvious damage after all the weight that had been against it.

They would have to fix it tonight, after moving the bodies that still lay against it. The weapons were gathered and then people broke into small groups. First the bodies were moved and burned in a separate area. Then they started gathering supplies to reinforce the fence.

They would have waited until the next day, but no one wanted to take the risk in case another set came by tonight. Working together, they had everything put right in just a few hours. The sun was just starting to peak over the edge of the treetops.

Carol was supposed to take watch next, but Rick pushed her back towards the prison and told her to get a few more hours of sleep before she reported to the guard tower. She rolled her eyes at him at first, but then gave him a grateful look.

As everyone went back inside the prison, Rick climbed back up the steps to the guard tower and leaned against the railing. He exhaled a breath that he didn’t know he was still holding and let his shoulders drop a little. That was a close call, but they had managed it with relative ease. Rick hoped they were that lucky the next time.

He heard the door to the guard tower open behind him and he sighed. “Carol, I told you to go get some sleep. I can watch for a few more hours,” Rick said, not even bothering to turn around. He knew the woman could be stubborn.

“Nah, she went back to sleep.” Rick almost jumped at the voice. It was Daryl and Rick pushed himself off the railing to a standing position as the hunter came up beside him. “Figured you’d be hungry after all that,” and then he handed over a can of peaches.

“Oh. Thanks.” Rick said, taking the can. He peeled off the lid and started eating. He had no fork or spoon, so he just used his hand to pull the peach slices out. The food was refreshing and he offered some to Daryl. The hunter shook his head and turned around to lean his back against the railing.

“Was a close call,” the hunter said as he pulled his lighter from his pocket, absentmindedly flicking the lid open and close. “What d’ya think brought’em here?”

“Don’t know,” Rick replied, giving a light shrug. “When I came out here last night, Glenn said he could smell the food all the way out here. Maybe it was that.”

“Maybe.” Daryl took a minute to think as Rick finished the can. He drank all the syrup from the bottom and sat the empty tin on the ground by his feet. “Don’t know how much more this fence can take if we have more problems like that.”

Rick nodded his head in agreement and put his hands on the railing, continuing his leaning posture from before. “You’re right about that. We’re gonna have to keep a better watch, do more perimeter checks, maybe have more guard tower rotations. That way people don’t get so tired keeping watch up here, make less mistakes.”

“Sounds like a plan, Sheriff.” Daryl said with a smirk. Rick grinned at the teasing tone the hunter took on when he used the moniker. They stood like that for a while, Daryl facing the guard tower with his hands resting on the railing, Rick leaning out, watching the prison yard.

Although they were quiet, this wasn’t an awkward silence. Rick felt like this was a peaceful, calm moment that they shared; alone together for once instead of being surrounded by other people. Rick decided to make use of this time, and slid one of his hands down the railing and placed it over Daryl’s. Rick kept his gaze forward, but he saw, from the corner of his eye, Daryl look down at the hand covering his.

Rick felt the hunter turn his hand over and he laced his fingers between Rick’s and squeezed hard. Rick finally turned his head and he met the hunter’s deep, piercing gaze. He felt like Daryl could look straight through him and see everything he was thinking.

Rick couldn’t take the space between them anymore and moved his body closer. He noticed Daryl bite his lip nervously as their arms made contact. Rick brought his opposite hand up and placed it on the back of Daryl’s head, sinking his fingers into the hunter’s shaggy hair.

Then Rick saw Daryl leaning forward and he decided to meet him in the middle. When their lips met, Rick felt like everything around him faded away. Daryl’s kiss was softer than Rick expected it to be, a pleasant surprise. Their mouths fit together perfectly and Rick reveled in the way they were touching.

He ran his hand through Daryl’s hair and was rewarded by the hunter slightly opening his mouth. Rick dipped his tongue past his own lips and glided it across Daryl’s, feeling what he thought heaven must taste like. The happiness Rick had washing over him was unlike anything he had felt in so long that he couldn’t help but smile against Daryl’s mouth. He felt a small, reciprocating smile greet him briefly before they went back to embracing each other.

“Hey Rick! Carol sent me up here to give you a break before…..” Maggie stopped short when she saw the two men kissing by the railing. As soon as they heard her, they quickly pulled away from each other, but it was already too late. She had seen the way they had clung to one another, and she quickly turned bright red. Wide eyed, she managed a quick “Sorry,” before she ducked back through the door.


	8. Chapter 8

Rick looked over at Daryl and saw a flustered, almost embarrassed look cross his face. “Daryl…” but before Rick could add anything to that sentence, the hunter bolted for the door. Rick went after him but it was almost pointless. When he got to the bottom of the tower, Daryl had already dashed to the front of the prison, running by Maggie who stood at the bottom of the steps with her head down, trying to seem inconspicuous.

Rick came up and stood next to her. “I’m sooo sorry Rick. I had no idea!” Maggie had a pleading look in her eyes, one that asked for forgiveness for interrupting them.

“It’s okay Maggie.” He patted her shoulder, hoping that she didn’t feel too bad. Rick wasn’t upset with her, it was just bad timing. “Will you just do me a favor and not tell anybody? Not yet anyways. This is still really new and we’re just starting to figure things out.” Rick ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He hoped Daryl wasn’t too upset.

“Oh yea. Sure. Of course.” She waved off the thought in a reassuring manner, although Rick was sure she would tell Glenn. He just hoped Glenn would keep it to himself. “Carol asked me to come up and take watch for a bit until she could make it up here. We both figured you could use some rest.”

“Alright. Thanks, Maggie.” Rick started to walk towards the prison, leaving Maggie behind, who still had a slightly guilty look on her face. He walked inside and saw some people moving about, doing a few of the daily tasks. A few people stopped and said good morning.

Rick gave them short replies, trying to seem nice, but he knew exactly where he was going. He walked back to the cells, right past his own, and headed straight to Daryl’s cell. The blanket was left pulled back, so Rick glanced inside. Daryl was lying down on his cot, arm over his eyes.

He rapped his knuckles on the bars, alerting the hunter that he was there. He saw Daryl lift his head and squint at the doorway. Once he realized it was Rick, he sat up on the cot and looked down, biting his lip. Rick took that as an invitation and entered the cell, sitting next to Daryl on the cot.

“I talked to her. She’s not gonna say anything.” Rick said, bumping his shoulder with Daryl’s. The hunter gave a quick snort of disbelief and rolled his eyes. “Hey, don’t be like that. I don’t think she will, but even if she did, it doesn’t change anything for me.” He reached over and grabbed Daryl’s hand from his lap, laced his fingers with the other man’s and squeezed.

They let a moment go by before Daryl said anything. “I…I ain’t never done nothing like this….I mean, not with a man, ya know.” The hunter glanced nervously at Rick and looked away.

“Neither have I. But I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a long time. I’m not about to push these feelings aside just because it’s not something that I’ve experienced before. I’m willing if you’re willing.” Rick felt his heart quicken its pace. He couldn’t help but feel vulnerable after laying his feelings for Daryl on the table.  

Only a moment went by before Daryl gave a small smirk and said, “Yea. Okay.” He let go of Rick’s hand and instead brought both of his hands to the sides of Rick’s face and brought him in for an earth shattering kiss. This kiss was different from the first. The first had been sweet as they discovered each other. This kiss was full of need and it felt like the temperature in the small cell had jumped ten degrees.

Rick brought his hands to Daryl’s shoulders and they gripped each other tightly as their lips opened and they explored each other’s mouths. Daryl’s hand ran through the other man’s hair and they got as close as they could to one another, not leaving room for even an inch of space. Rick decided to break their kiss and started to explore the body that was Daryl Dixon.

He traced kisses along Daryl’s slightly stubbled jawline, dropping his hands from the other man’s shoulders and wrapping his arms around his torso. He worked his way to the hunter’s neck and started giving him small kisses, but he soon felt Daryl pull his head in harder and took that as a hint at wanting more.

So he started giving the tender flesh small licks and bites and was rewarded with a few low moans. He smiled at the sounds coming from the hunter and gave another, slightly deeper, bite as he ran his hands up and down Daryl’s back. The other man gripped Rick’s hair and pulled him off his neck, bringing him back to his mouth and they resumed their deep kiss.

Rick unexpectedly heard someone calling his name. Daryl must of heard it too because they pulled their heads apart and listened again, still wrapped up in each other’s embrace.

“Hey Dad! Are you down here?” It was Carl calling for Rick. They quickly disentangled themselves, and Rick stood up. He looked down and suddenly realized that he had a massive erection. Daryl wiped his mouth and smirked at the bulge in Rick’s pants; Rick couldn’t help but flush in embarrassment. He quickly turned and adjusted himself, hoping that it wouldn’t be too noticeable.

Then he walked out of the cell, trying extra hard to seem casual. “Hey son. What’s up?” He saw Carl standing down in front of his father’s cell and had a small look of confusion on his face when he walked out of Daryl’s.

“Oh hey. What were you doing down there?” Carl asked curiously.

“Uh…Just talking about some fence stuff with Daryl. After last night, gotta be more careful. What d’ya need?” He ruffled Carl’s mop of hair, trying to change the subject.

“Beth needs ya. Something about Judith.”

Rick said okay and pointed for Carl to lead the way. Carl turned to walk out and Rick glanced behind him. Daryl was leaning against the opening of his cell and he gave a short wave to the other man. “Talk to ya later, Sheriff,” he said with a wink and ducked back into his cell. Rick rolled his eyes in frustration and quickly readjusted himself before he followed Carl out.


	9. Chapter 9

As the father and son left the cellblock, they entered the main room and Rick saw Beth holding a teary-eyed, red-faced Judith. “Awww, what’s wrong?” Rick cooed to Judith as he picked her up from Beth’s arms and cuddled her close. He bounced her for a second and she seemed to calm a little.

“She started to cry about an hour ago and nothing seemed to help. I finally felt her forehead and she felt a little warm. I went and got the thermometer and she’s at 99.8.” Beth said to Rick. She looked a little worried. Rick patted her shoulder to let her know she did a good job.

“Alright. Well we went through this plenty of times with Carl. Usually we’d give him some baby acetaminophen and a lukewarm bath, and he’d be better the next day.” Rick pressed his cheek to Judith’s forehead and she did seem slightly warm. “I’m pretty sure we grabbed some baby medicine on the last run. Will you go check Hershel’s supply?” Beth gave him a quick nod and off she went.

Rick sat at the table with his daughter in his lap. Carl had already wandered off, hopefully to do some of his chores. He tried his best to sooth his young daughter. It had been a long time since he had dealt with anything like this and he was pretty sure Lori did all the comforting with Carl. Beth came back a few minutes later, Hershel following behind her.

“Beth says she’s warm. I thought I’d take a quick look to see how she’s doing,” said Hershel. He rechecked her temperature, the same as before, and gave her a quick look over. Rick was grateful that the man cared. “Well nothing seems to be wrong. It could just be a fever spike.”

Rick nodded. “Yea. Carl got them a time or two when he was a baby. Did you find the baby meds?” he asked Beth. She nodded and held it out in her hand. Rick took it and quickly gave Judith the prescribed dose. He looked over at Beth and noticed that she looked pretty worn out. “You look a little tired. Did she keep you up last night?”

“A little. She would wake up and fuss every few hours. Nothing too bad though.” She gave Rick a reassuring smile.

“Well I got her today. Why don’t you go get some rest?” Rick suggested. He urged her to go back to her cell. Beth finally relented and walked back towards the cellblock. After she disappeared, Judith started to get upset again and Rick bounced her a little, trying to calm the usually even-tempered baby back down.

“Well I think you can handle this son. I’ll come back in a bit and check on her.” Rick thanked Hershel as he walked away on his crutch. Then Rick turned just as Daryl stepped from the cellblock behind him with his crossbow in hand.

“Everything okay here with Lil’ Asskicker?” he asked. He picked up one of her hands with his finger and she squeezed tight. He feigned injury from her baby grip and Rick gave a little smile.

“Yea. She has a little fever and she’s been upset off and on, but we just gave her some medicine. I sent Beth to go take a nap, and I’m gonna take her for the day.” Rick absentmindedly gave her a kiss on the head as he talked.

“Alright. Well I’m gonna go check some of the traps, maybe set some more. Be back by dinner. I got watch tonight.”

Rick gave a quick nod. “Kay. Be careful out there.” Daryl briefly snorted at Rick’s response, but he gave a brief look around the room, and when he was sure they were alone, he bent down and placed a quick peck on Rick’s lips. He grabbed Judith’s hand one more time and then he turned to leave. Once he got to the doorway, Rick heard a brief “I will” from the hunter, and he smiled at the short reply.

The day seemed to drag on. He was exhausted from the action the night before had provided, but Judith continued to fuss into the afternoon. Once Rick soothed her or she would start to doze off, he would try to lay her down in her bassinette, but as soon as his hand left her she would start wailing again. She only seemed to calm down in his arms, and while her fever went down at first, it soon returned. It was too soon to give her more medicine, so Rick gave her a bath, which seemed to help a little.

Finally dinnertime rolled around and everyone gathered to eat. Rick sat at the table with Judith still in his arms and Carl brought him a bowl. Daryl walked in and sat down next to Rick after he grabbed his own food.

“Came back with nothing. They were all empty. I set a few more to the south. We’ll see if anythin’ comes along.” Daryl shrugged, clearly disappointed. Rick patted him on the shoulder to reassure him. Daryl looked over and could see the exhaustion etched across Rick’s face and before Rick could protest, the hunter plucked Judith from his arms.

Rick ate his dinner and was pleased to see that Judith seemed placated sitting in Daryl’s lap. After they finished eating, Daryl actually stood up and walked Judith back and forth across the room, all the while talking about random things, using his voice to lull her to sleep. Rick rested his head on his hand and watched the hunter work his magic. Within five minutes, his daughter had fallen asleep in the hunter’s arms.

They walked her to Rick’s cell together, and Daryl gently laid her down in the crib. Rick held his breath as Daryl pulled his hands away from her, sending up a silent prayer that she would stay asleep. Thankfully, she did just that and Rick felt the breath he was holding slowly leave his body. Rick quietly sat down on his cot and the other man plopped down next to him. The hunter could tell he was exhausted and they just sat there for a few minutes holding hands.

“Thank you,” Rick whispered. He leaned his head against Daryl’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

“No problem.” Daryl let go of Rick’s hand and stood up. Rick raised his head to protest, but the hunter pushed him down onto the cot and covered him with a blanket. He leaned down and gave him the briefest of a kiss and whispered a good night. Rick was asleep before the hunter even left the cellblock.

It’s so bright that Rick has to block the light from is eyes to be able to see. Once his eyes adjust, he sees a field of green all around him and Rick realizes its grass. He looks down and he’s wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt underneath. He runs his hands over the crisp fabric and wonders where he’s at. His gaze shifts up and he notices gray squares placed sporadically around him and it hits him, he’s in a graveyard.

He tries to figure out why he’s here, turning his head around in all directions. Suddenly up on a hill he sees a group of people huddled together, all dressed in black. He slowly walks toward them. As he gets closer, the whole group turns and looks at him. He recognizes the faces of most of them; Glenn, Maggie, Hershel, Daryl, and Carol are mixed in with others. Once he gets to the group, they split and make a path for him.

He doesn’t know why, but he keeps walking. Once he gets to the center of the circle, he sees what they’re standing around, a grave. The whole hasn’t been filled in yet, but when Rick looks down he sees a small coffin placed inside. Next to the unfilled grave is one that has been there longer, with a headstone that has Lori’s name on it. In between the two sits Carl on his knees, hunched over and crying. It suddenly dawns on Rick who’s in the small coffin and he falls to his knees too.

Rick jumped awake and found a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Daryl standing over him in his cell. It’s still sometime in the middle of the night. Without thinking, he shot up off the cot and looked into Judith’s crib to make sure she was okay. He stood there for a minute and watched her tiny chest move up and down. He reached a hand in and felt her forehead. Her fever was all gone and Rick’s heart resumed a normal pace.

Daryl put hand on Rick’s shoulder again, pulling him away from the crib. “She’s fine. Ain’t nothin’ happened.” He sat the other man back onto the cot and joined him. “I was walking back from watch and heard you talking in your sleep. ‘Nother nightmare?”

“Yea….” Rick tried to control his breathing. He sat there hunched over with his hand on his forehead, trying his hardest to control his emotions. “I was…I was in a damn graveyard…and…and…” Rick couldn’t find it in himself to finish but he nodded towards Judith and Daryl seemed to understand. A few tears slowly worked their way down Rick’s cheek and in an instant Rick found himself in Daryl’s arms.

He wrapped his arms around the hunter’s lean torso, buried his face in his neck and let himself quietly sob in the man’s embrace. He had hoped the nightmares were gone for good, or at least for a while, but this one seemed to prove otherwise. His crying slowed and soon he was hit with the embarrassment of how he fell apart in the other man’s arms.

Rick wiped his face of some of the tears and mumbled, “Sorry ‘bout that.” He lifted his head up and tried to pull away. Rick was slightly worried the hunter would think this was a bit too much, too early, and try to back off. That was the last thing he wanted.

“Nothin’ to be sorry ‘bout,” the hunter quickly replied. Daryl reached behind them and picked the blanket up. Rick thought that he was going to cover him back up again and leave for his own cell, but he got a pleasant surprise when Daryl laid down on his cot and motioned for Rick to lie down next to him. Rick shifted to a laying position and put his head on the pillow. His back was against Daryl’s chest, making him the little spoon. He felt Daryl throw the blanket over the both of them and then he wrapped an arm around Rick.

At first, Rick felt tense but then he realized the hunter was doing this to comfort him and within moments he relaxed against him. He grabbed the hand of the arm wrapped around him and laced his own fingers through Daryl’s. He focused on the steady breathing of the strong man behind him and soon he drifted back to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Rick felt himself being nudged awake by a hand rubbing up and down his side and soft kisses being placed on his neck. He slowly started to smile and said, “Am I dreaming? Cuz I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of waking up like this.” He heard a small chuckle come from behind him.

He decided to open his eyes and turned his head to look at the smirking face that rested on his shoulder. Some sunlight made its way past the blanket covering the doorway and Rick could tell it was later in the morning than he had planned on sleeping. He glanced over at the crib and noticed it was empty. Before he could even ask, Daryl read his mind and said, “Beth came and got her. ‘Bout twenty minutes ago.”

Rick’s eyes widened and he turned his body to face Daryl, not an easy task on such a small cot. “Oh. What’d she say?”

“To stay in bed and kiss me all day.” And Daryl took the other man in his arms and placed his mouth on top of Rick’s before he had a chance to ask any more questions. Rick laughed and tried to push the man away for a mere second before he submitted to the will of the hunter. He sighed into the kiss and wrapped his arms over Daryl’s shoulders, rubbing his hand over his upper back.

After a minute of sensual, sexy kisses, Rick pulled away to catch a breath. Before Daryl could come in for round two, he put a hand on his chest; effectively putting a stop to the other man’s advances, if only just for a second. “What did she really say?” Rick questioned.

Daryl rolled his eyes and sighed, obviously eager for more contact. “Nothing really. She didn’t even look that surprised. Maybe Maggie has a bigger mouth than you think. She grabbed Judith, gave me a quick wave, and tiptoed out.” Rick laid back and took a second to digest the information. While he was in thought, Daryl took the opportunity to ravage the other man’s exposed neck.

Rick seemed to give up on any protesting and instead ran his hands through Daryl’s hair as the other man kissed, licked, and nipped at the soft skin. While his mouth worked, the hunter took one of his hands and slipped it under Rick’s shirt, feeling the hard muscles hidden underneath. He reached the hand up to Rick’s chest and brushed his fingers over the light smattering of chest hair. He found a slightly stiff nipple and gave it a quick pinch.

Rick jumped at that and gave a little laugh. The small tweak almost seemed to flip a switch in him because after that he pushed Daryl down onto the cot and brought their mouths together in a furious kiss. He pulled Daryl’s lean body into his and they started to grind their hips into each other. They both had full erections straining against their pants, begging to be let free.

Rick couldn’t help himself and he reached a hand between them and brushed his palm over Daryl’s crotch. Daryl broke their kiss and gave a sharp intake of breath at the contact. Rick looked down at the outline of the massive erection he had in his hands and then glanced back up at Daryl’s face, only to meet his eyes and see all the heat that Daryl felt for Rick in that one look.

Rick looked back down and, with a pounding heart and a slightly shaky hand, slowly unbuttoned Daryl’s pants and gently pulled down the zipper. Daryl’s hard cock immediately popped out, as the hunter wore no underwear, and Rick watched Daryl fall to pieces as he grasped the long member in his hand. He worked his hand down the length, all the way to the base, and then gradually back up. The hunter was starting to pant a little from Rick’s touch, so he held him firmly for a second and gave Daryl a few soft kisses to slightly calm him down.

Rick moved to kiss the hunter’s neck and gradually started working his hand up and down again. He suddenly felt a hand at his pants, and in a moment the other man had undone Rick’s button and zipper. Daryl worked a hand into his underwear and pulled Rick’s own thick cock out into the open air. Rick stopped working his own hand for a moment and watched as Daryl started to jerk him from base to tip.

Rick found it hard to keep low moans from escaping his mouth, so he brought his lips to Daryl’s and soon they were feverishly kissing as they stroked each other at a quickening pace. Rick felt the hunter get even harder in his hand and Daryl started to thrust his hips uncontrollably. Rick pulled his head back and watched as Daryl came undone in his grip, shooting his load in between them, face contorted in the sweetest ecstasy as he let a series of moans escape his lips.

Watching the hunter was all Rick needed and he placed his own hand over Daryl’s, which had loosened slightly, and Rick gave two quick thrusts and found himself falling over the edge with the hunter. He laid his forehead against the other man’s and tried to catch his breath. They held messy hands and Rick hoped they hadn’t been loud enough for anyone to hear.

After a couple minutes, Daryl leaned over and gave him a few soft kisses, letting him know they couldn’t lay here all day. Rick almost wanted to pout, but he knew the hunter was right, and he turned over and found an old shirt to clean them with. They both got themselves situated and got up from the cot. Before they walked out of the cell, Rick grabbed Daryl’s hand and brought him in for a hug, squeezing him tight.

The hunter clutched him just as hard and they shared a brief kiss before pulling the blanket back and walking out of the cellblock. Rick hated breaking any contact with the other man, but he knew they were still trying to keep things relatively low key. He didn’t want to make any bold statements yet, just in case things decided to blow up in their face.

As they walked to the main area, Rick saw almost everyone had left after finishing breakfast. The only people left were Maggie and Beth, who had just finished taking an empty bottle from Judith as she sat in her high chair. Both ladies try to play off the small smirks that were plastered to their faces, and Rick couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Keeping a secret in this prison was just about impossible.

Rick walked over to his daughter and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. He could already tell that she felt a million times better and that gave him a little relief, especially after last night’s nightmare. Daryl grabbed a couple cans of fruit and tossed one to Rick.

They sat down at a table together to quickly eat and couldn’t help but notice the way Maggie and Beth would glance at them and then grin at each other as they played a game of cards. Daryl got fed up with it before Rick did. “This company’s a lil’ too smiley for me this morning. What’s say we take our breakfast to go?” Daryl asked Rick. He stood up and held out his hand to Rick, in a mock grand gesture.

Rick laughed at the hunter, but took the hand all the same. “That sounds pretty good to me.” He stood up and they continued to hold hands as they walked to the doorway. Before they left the room, Daryl threw the plastic spoon he was using at the two girls, who quickly ducked and broke into a fit of giggles as they walked out.

The two men smiled at each other as they stepped out of the prison, letting their hands drop at the last second. As they walked to the field, Glenn gave a wave from the guard tower. Rick stopped for a second and yelled up, “Hey Glenn. We’re gonna go work in the garden and then I’ll take watch after lunch.”

Glenn gave him a thumbs up and yelled back down, “Sounds good. I figured you guys wouldn’t sleep the whole day away.” He said the last part a little less loud and gave the two men a big smile before heading back into the tower. Rick and Daryl each gave a groan as they kept walking. There was definitely no way to keep a secret in this prison.


	11. Chapter 11

Rick felt exhausted as he walked back into the prison. He had just finished his afternoon shift on the guard tower and it had been a long day. In the morning, almost everyone worked in the garden and they dug out a new place for a compost pile. They also had to fix a few drainage problems that the layout of the field had caused. After all that work, Rick ate a quick lunch and spent the rest of the day in the guard tower.

Thankfully there weren’t any problems, but it also made for a relatively boring afternoon. He felt himself give a sigh of relief when someone came to take over. As he walked into the main room, he saw people were finishing up their dinner. He glanced around and saw Daryl sitting with Carl, Beth, and Carol.

He was about to grab a bowl of food before he saw Daryl motion him over. Rick then saw the full bowl sitting next to him that the hunter must have grabbed for Rick. The fact that Daryl had grabbed him dinner made Rick feel a little giddy and he tried to hide the big smile that was slowly spreading across his face.

As Rick saw down, he lifted the bowl and nodded to Daryl, a silent thank you. Daryl gave him a quick nod back and Rick looked around the table to see if anyone noticed the exchange. Carl and Beth seemed wrapped up in Judith, who sat in her highchair next to Beth, but he caught Carol eyeing them and she quickly looked away when she saw Rick looking at her.

A slight thought flitted across Rick’s brain as to whether or not Daryl and Carol had ever been together. They always seemed close, but they never seemed romantic. He put the thought away for now and decided to ask Daryl about it later. Everyone chatted through the rest of dinner and soon the dishes were washed and dried and people had started filtering out.

Rick picked Judith up from her highchair and flew her through the air for a second, loving the small smile that worked its way to her face. “Well I think it’s time to put this little one down, but maybe we’ll give her a story first. Carl, you wanna come help me put her down?” Rick asked his son. He felt like he hadn’t spent much time with both his children together lately.

“Sure. I guess,” and Carl shrugged as he stood up. Rick looked over at Daryl and gave the man a brief eye roll. Carl’s attitude was becoming more and more that of a moody, hormonal teenager as each day passed. Daryl gave him a quick laugh and Rick patted the hunter’s shoulder as he got up from the table. Rick said good night to the ladies and walked to his cell with his daughter in his arms and his son at his side.

Once they were in the cell, Rick turned a small lantern on and placed Judith in her crib. He sat down on his cot and Carl sat down next to him. “So….anything new happening?” Rick asked curiously. He felt like his son shut him off sometimes, and he missed the days when he was younger and would talk freely around his dad.

“Dad. We live behind a fence, in a prison, and we see each other every single day. Don’t you think if something new was happening, you’d know about it?” Carl’s reply was very matter-of-fact and he gave Rick a look like he should already know this. Rick laughed out loud and patted his son on the back.

“Yea. I guess you’re right, son. But I don’t mean out here, I mean in here and here,” and Rick pointed to his son’s head and chest, respectively. “I just wanna be sure that you’re doing okay. That’s all.”

“I mean, I’m fine.” Carl gave another shrug. “Nothing’s really changed. What about you?”

Rick was tempted to tell his son about Daryl, but he just couldn’t find the words. How do you tell your son, whose mother passed away only months ago, that his father has gotten involved with someone else, let alone that someone else being a man. He wasn’t ashamed of his feelings for Daryl, not in the slightest, but he just didn’t know how his son was going to react.

So instead he said, “Oh you know…..the same,” but he couldn’t quite meet Carl’s eyes as he said it. “You wanna read to Judith tonight?” Rick leaned over beside Judith’s small crib and grabbed one of the few children’s books they had picked up on a run a few months ago. Carl gave a small chuckle and nodded. He opened the book and stood by Judith’s crib as he read her a few nighttime stories.

Rick leaned back and listened as Carl went through each one. Within a half hour, Judith was sound asleep and Rick felt exhaustion creeping up on him. Carl put the book down and looked over at his dad. He almost laughed when he saw how tired Rick looked and he gave him a quick hug as he said good night and left his father’s cell for his own. Rick leaned over and turned the lantern off as he laid down, pulling his blanket over his legs.

His eyes drifted closed and he was almost asleep when he heard the blanket to his cell pull back. He glanced up even though he knew who it was. Daryl kicked off his boots and Rick leaned forward to make room for the hunter to slide in behind him on the cot. Daryl pulled the blanket over them both and wrapped his arms around Rick. There were no words, they didn’t need any. Rick sank into Daryl’s embrace and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Rick opened his eyes to the soft light of the sun rising in his cell. He could tell it was still early, but he felt wide awake as soon as he blinked his eyes open. He hadn’t slept that good in a very long time, probably not since before the world went to hell. He also realized that he hadn’t had any nightmares either. That was an amazing feat all on its own.

He glanced over to Judith’s crib and saw that she was still sleeping. Rick figured he had maybe about another hour before she woke up and needed to eat. He rolled over in the arms that he was still wrapped in and faced Daryl, who was still sleeping. Rick watched the hunter snooze for a minute, taking in his peaceful demeanor. Rick couldn’t help but think about beautiful Daryl was in this moment. He never thought he’d use a word like beautiful to describe the one and only Daryl Dixon, but he was. And Rick took satisfaction in the fact that the hunter was all his.

He couldn’t take it anymore and started placing kisses on Daryl’s face, starting with his cheek and working his way down to the hunter’s chin. “What d’ya want?” he heard the hunter mumble as he was roused from his slumber. Daryl slipped a hand under Rick’s shirt and gave his side a little tickle. Rick laughed and wiggled away from the hand as Daryl opened his eyes and gave Rick a small smile.

Rick leaned in and started giving the hunter real kisses, wrapping his arms around the other man’s torso and bringing him in tight. “There’s a few things that I could think of,” Rick whispered. “But first, let’s go get in the shower.” Daryl’s eyebrows shot straight up at the proposition and he whipped the blanket off their tangled legs. Rick gave a small chuckle at the other man’s eagerness, but he got up off the bed with just as much enthusiasm.

He checked to make sure Judith was still asleep one more time, and then he grabbed a towel and the two men walked hand in hand to the showers. Once they passed the door to the showers, Daryl stopped and grabbed a chair that he propped against the door handle to help hold it shut. Rick guessed Daryl didn’t want to take any chances. “Just think, if you had done that that first morning, we wouldn’t even be here together right now,” said Rick.

Daryl rolled his eyes and pulled Rick into him. “Didn’t think I needed to then. But now I’m glad I didn’t.” He gave Rick a deep, sexy kiss and soon they were holding each other tight and grinding their hips together. Rick finally broke the kiss and took a deep breath. He walked over to one of the showers and stood to the side as he turned it on. The water always started off cold, but would fade to lukewarm after a minute.

He started to unbutton his shirt and suddenly felt a little nervous. He hadn’t thought about being completely naked in front of the other man. The thought excited him and sort of terrified him. Daryl was standing there watching with his arms crossed, and Rick finally said, “You just gonna watch?”

Daryl smirked a little and then nodded. “You already seen all of me. Now I wanna see you. ‘Sides, I like to watch.” Rick felt himself blush all the way to his toes, but he kept undressing. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the side. Then he unbuttoned his pants and, in one movement, brought down his pants and underwear. His cock bobbed up and down when he stood back up, already fully erect.

He kicked his pants away and stood there for a second as the hunter looked him up and down. Daryl licked his lips and a fire burned behind his eyes. The look the hunter was giving him gave Rick the courage to start stroking himself. Rick sighed at how good it felt and how hot it was making him to do this in front of Daryl.

Daryl bit his lip and as he watched Rick jerk himself at a slow, steady pace, he couldn’t help but bring a hand up and rub his own hard cock through his pants. Then the hunter decided to take his own clothes off; his eyes never leaving Rick for a moment as he stripped down. Once he was naked, he walked to Rick, grabbed his hand, and brought him over to the running shower.

They brought their lips together as they let the water pour over them. Their hands explored each other’s slick, wet bodies. Rick ran his fingers over each tattoo he could find on Daryl’s lean frame, and then he kissed every tattoo and scar he could see along his torso. His hand reached Daryl’s firm erection and he started to stroke him at a slow pace. Daryl laid his head on Rick’s shoulder and gripped his arms as he let soft sighs escape his lips.

Rick walked Daryl backwards and leaned him against the tiled wall. Then he kneeled before the hunter and looked up to meet his eyes. He gave him a questioning look, one that asked if he was okay with this, and Daryl bit his lip and gave a slight nod. Rick wrapped a hand around the base of Daryl’s long, hard length and brought his lips to the tip.

Rick had obviously never done anything like this before so he went slow, trying to do movements that he remembered liking in this past, even though it had been years since he had gotten a blowjob. Once his tongue made contact, Daryl gave a sharp intake of breath. Rick looked up and their eyes connected as he slowly lowered his mouth onto Daryl’s cock.

He took as much of him as he could, which only ended up being about half, and started to steadily move his head up and down. He would take the cock as deep as his mouth could take and then come back up to the tip and swirl his tongue around. Daryl seemed to love it because he put a hand on Rick’s head and started to grip his hair tighter and tighter. The hunter bit his lip to keep moans from escaping but he was failing miserably.

Rick took his hand that was resting at the base of Daryl’s length and started moving it up and down in time with his mouth, stimulating the entire erection. Rick gave a quick suck between each lick, wrapping his lips tight around the shaft. After that, Daryl didn’t even try to hold back his moans and worked both his hands into Rick’s hair. He started to give small thrusts and said between gritted teeth, “Mmm, Rick. Gonna….gonna come.”

Rick looked up and watched Daryl’s face as he started spill into Rick’s mouth. The hunter’s expression had a look of frenzied ecstasy carved into it as he lowly moaned Rick’s name again and again, until he had finished. Rick swallowed the salty taste down and slowly stood up.

Daryl brought him in for a rough kiss under the spray of the water. Rick knew that the hunter could taste his release on Rick’s lips and that made him even hotter. Daryl turned Rick around in the kiss and pushed him against the tile. As Daryl got down on his knees this time, Rick smiled but he hoped the hunter wasn’t doing it just because Rick did it to him.

Even though his dick was more than ready for the other man’s lips, Rick grabbed Daryl’s hand and said, “You don’t have to, you know. Not just because I did.” He kissed Daryl’s knuckles and waited. Daryl looked thoughtful for a minute, running a finger over Rick’s soft lips. Then he brought his hand away quickly and grinned.

“Shut up,” he said and then he plunged his mouth down on Rick’s full erection. Rick almost screamed at the sensation, gripping Daryl’s hands that rested against Rick’s hips. The hunter was relentless in his assault, lapping his tongue up and down Rick’s member. Rick didn’t even bother to try to hold back the groans that flew from his mouth. Daryl was messy and rough with his tongue and lips, even purposefully giving a slight graze with his teeth once.

Rick could feel his orgasm building fast and the hunter must have been able to tell because he started to slow his movements. His rough assault turned into small licks and sucks at the tip while he gently stroked Rick with his hand. “Oh….you bastard,” Rick said, but with a smile. Daryl gave him an evil grin.

“Show me then,” the hunter teased. Rick took the challenge and put Daryl’s hands back where they were before, on Rick’s hips. Then he wrapped both hands into Daryl’s shaggy, wet hair and started to thrust into his mouth. He made sure not to be too rough or go too deep, but he moved his hips fast as Daryl’s lips wrapped around his rock hard cock and his slick tongue licked at the underside. It didn’t take Rick long before he found his release and he came hard with a small shout.

Daryl swallowed every drop Rick had to give and then he stood and they embraced tightly under the water. The hunter rubbed the other man’s back and Rick gave Daryl small kisses along his neck. Gradually, they pulled apart and actually got clean under the shower. They washed their own hair but ended up soaping each other’s bodies and rinsed off together. Both men quickly dried themselves with a towel and threw their old clothes back on.

Daryl pulled the chair from the door and they peeked out. Nobody seemed to be up yet, so they walked back to Rick’s cell. Once inside, Rick pulled the blanket closed and looked in Judith’s crib. She was just barely awake, Rick could tell, and while he grabbed some fresh clothes from his pile, Daryl picked her up and gave her a quick bounce before she got the chance to fuss.

Rick quickly disrobed and put on a pair of clean pants. He was about to put his shirt on, but Daryl started to twirl Judith around in the air and that made Rick stop for a second. The image of such a big, bad hunter having a soft spot for his young daughter made Rick happy in a way he couldn’t quite describe. Daryl stopped twirling when he saw Rick staring. “What?” he asked him. But Rick just shook his head and put a hand on the side of Daryl’s face. He leaned in and gave him a soft kiss, smiling when he felt Judith’s hands land on each man’s face.

“Hey Dad. You up yet?” And Rick heard the blanket to his cell get pulled aside. Before the two men could break the kiss, Rick heard Carl yell, “What the fuck?!” He turned his head and met his son’s confused and bewildered eyes.

“Oh shit. Carl, let me explain.” But before Rick could get another word out, his son ran as fast as he could out of the cellblock. Rick went to run after him, but he felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him.

“Let him go. He ain’t gonna want to talk right now,” Daryl said to the other man, still holding Judith in his arms. Rick dragged his shirt on and looked at the hunter who had a look of guilt written across his face.

Rick sat on his cot and put his head in his hands. He said the only thing he could think of right now. “Fuck!”


	12. Chapter 12

Rick took Judith out of Daryl’s arms and the hunter went to change into fresh clothes. Rick was a mix of emotions but mainly he was worried about Carl and how he felt. He knew he needed to talk to him. Rick changed Judith and took her to the main room. When he walked in, he found everyone sitting at tables eating a light breakfast.

He sat down at a table with Beth and Maggie. Beth handed him a bottle that she had already made and had ready for his daughter. Rick took it and gave her a grateful smile. After a minute, Daryl walked in and sat down next to him in what looked like slightly less dirty clothing. He caught the hunter looking at him with a small look of concern and Rick tried to give him a reassuring smile. Daryl’s eyes told Rick that he didn’t buy that smile one bit.

“Anybody seen where Carl went?” Rick asked tentatively. He didn’t know if Carl had said anything to anyone after he made his mad dash from the cellblock. Everyone at the table shook their heads in response.

“He ran outta here pretty fast though. We asked if he was okay, but he didn’t even say anything, just ran through the door to other side,” Beth replied, nodding to the doorway that led further into the prison. Rick sighed and kept bouncing Judith on his knee. He had a feeling where his son might have gone.

“Here. I got ‘er. You go find him and talk,” Daryl said, lifting the baby from his arms. Rick almost protested but he knew the hunter was right. So he rose from the table and made his way into the prison.

Rick got to the outside door of the boiler room and pushed it open. It gave a small creak at the disturbance, and Rick tried to quietly shut it behind him. He walked down the short set of steps and rounded the corner. His son was sitting on the floor, right next to the spot where his mother gave her life for Judith’s.

Rick was somewhat relieved to see Carl sitting there in a contemplative silence. Rick was worried that he was going to be in an inconsolable state but he realized that he was, once again, underestimating his son’s maturity level. He walked up and sat down next to him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Rick was about to speak but Carl beat him to it. “Why didn’t you tell me?” his son asked, not daring to look at Rick.

Rick ran a hand over his chin, thinking for a moment. “I didn’t know how you’d react. And it only just happened. I wasn’t sure how to bring it up with you.” Rick grimaced at how ridiculous this sounded, even to him.

“You keep treating me like a kid, dad. You can’t shield me from everything. It’s not like I thought you were gonna pine away for mom for the rest of your days.” Carl finished his sentence with a sarcastic tone and rolled his eyes. Rick gave a quick chuckle at that.

“No….you’re right about that. You aren’t a little kid anymore. And I shoulda told you from the start. We shouldn’t keep things from one another, and I’m sorry that I did.” Rick wrapped an arm around his son and gave him a quick squeeze. He could feel the tension start to leave the room already.

“So…..are you gay now?” his son asked, turning to look Rick in the face, a little humor glinting in his eyes. Rick brought his arm away and sighed, unsure of how to answer the question.

“I…..I don’t know, son. I do know that I care about Daryl, a lot. And I haven’t felt this way about someone since me and your mom first got together. Daryl’s…..Daryl’s a good man.” Rick tried to pick his words carefully. He didn’t want to come outright and say that Daryl Dixon was the hottest thing he’d put his hands on in years, at least not to his son.

“Yea. He’s pretty cool. Just do me a favor and keep the lovey-dovey crap to a minimum,” Carl said with a short laugh. Rick huffed out a quick breath and gave his son an obvious eye roll.

“Why yes, your majesty. I’ll be sure to do that,” and Rick stood up, dusting his pants off. Carl followed suit and they walked out of the boiler room in a much better state than they were before they went in.

When they got back, Daryl was nowhere to be seen. Rick grabbed Judith from her highchair where Maggie was watching her and gave her a quick kiss. “Daryl?” he asked Maggie. She gave him a brief, knowing smile before she replied.

“He took the morning watch. He headed out to the guard tower about five minutes ago.” Rick nodded at the response and placed Judith back in her chair. He figured he would go reassure the hunter that things had been settled with Carl before he went back to work on the garden a little more.

Rick walked out of the prison feeling a little better knowing that they didn’t have to hide things from Carl anymore. He climbed the steps to the guard tower and opened the door. Daryl was standing at the railing, looking through the rifle scope at the fence perimeter. Rick walked up behind him and wrapped an arm around the hunter’s torso, placing a few small kisses on the back of his neck.

“Makin’ it pretty hard to keep watch,” Daryl mumbled as he leaned his head back a little. Rick grinned and let his arm drop as he turned to lean against the railing.

“Well you make a lot of things hard, but I tend to like it that way,” Rick said to the hunter. Daryl gave a short smirk out of the side of his mouth but continued to scan the fence. “I talked things over with Carl. I think we’re all good. He seems okay with it.”

“That’s good I guess. Think he told anyone?” Daryl questioned.

“I don’t think so. But then again, it already seems like everyone already knows. Not too much point in hiding it,” and Rick shrugged. He was trying to seem casual after the last sentence, but he was actually nervous. It was more of a question than a statement and Rick wondered what Daryl would say to it.

Daryl brought down the rifle and looked at Rick this time. He must have caught the questioning tone in Rick’s voice. “I s’pose not. I mean……if that’s what you want,” and Daryl shrugged. He brought his scope back up and continued scanning.

“I wouldn’t mind it…..Well I’m gonna go finish the work in the garden. See ya back here for lunch?” Rick asked, trying to hide the giddiness in his voice. Daryl gave him a nod. As Rick turned for the door, he felt a hand pull him back and when he turned his head, his lips met Daryl’s for a brief but hard kiss. Daryl went back to watch and Rick walked down the guard tower with a big smile plastered to his face.

It was a long, hot morning and Rick was grateful when lunch finally rolled around. He decided to throw the towel in for the day and finish the last of the garden work tomorrow. After he put his tools up, Rick stretched his back which was tight from being hunched over all morning. He glanced to the west and saw some dark clouds that looked like they would make their way over to the prison. He thought of how bad the crops could use some rain and he hoped it would be a good sized downpour.

Once he got to the front of the prison, he saw Daryl leaning against the brick outside, waiting for Rick before he walked in. Rick couldn’t help but think about how delectable the lean hunter looked and he couldn’t wait for more moments like the one they had this morning, in the shower. Rick walked up to him and held out his hand. “You ready for this?” he asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he shrugged. They laced their finger together and walked into the prison. Rick felt nervous but excited. As they walked into the room full of people eating lunch, the air suddenly got a little quiet. A few people looked their way, glancing at the two men and then down at their interlocked hands. Rick made eye contact with a few people and gave them a brief nod. Maggie and Beth couldn’t stop themselves from smiling and Carl only rolled his eyes. They walked to a table and Rick indicated for Daryl to sit down. After he did, Rick went and grabbed two bowls of food and brought Daryl his lunch before promptly sitting down next to him.

Daryl gave a short scoff at the gesture but gave him a half-smile anyways. Rick smiled back and rubbed a quick hand down the hunter’s back before digging into the food. A few eyes stayed on them, but most people went back to their meals and mindless chatter.

“Think I’m gonna go check the traps and see if I can catch anything,” Daryl said after they finished their meal. He stood from the table and grabbed his crossbow, checking to make sure he had enough arrows.

“Alright. I’ll walk ya to the gate,” Rick replied, getting up from the table as well. They walked out of the prison and to the front gate. “Be careful. Looks like a storms coming in. Don’t be gone too long.” Rick said to the hunter as he pulled the gate open.

“I’ve been in worst storms than that,” Daryl said, nodding towards the dark clouds that were fast approaching. “I shouldn’t be too long. Be back by dinner.” And then he wrapped an arm around Rick’s torso and brought him in for a long, deep kiss.

Rick felt flustered when Daryl broke off their embrace and walked through the gate. “Bring some more of that back,” Rick yelled at the hunter’s back. He thought he saw the other man give a short laugh as he walked away. He closed the gate and walked back into the prison.

Everyone hunkered down inside once they saw the storm approach. Rick took Judith and gave her a bath. Afterwards, he put her down for a nap and then went and sat with Carl. They played a few hands of cards and listened as the rain started to pour down on top of them.

It continued to rain and soon started to thunder and lightning. The sky grew dark and before Rick knew it, it was dinnertime. But Daryl hadn’t come back yet. Rick tried not to let concern rise up in him. Daryl had been away from the prison longer than this many times before. But that was before, and now Rick felt a small amount of worry start to well up inside of him.

They sat down to eat and Rick moved his food around while his thoughts were trained on Daryl’s whereabouts. “I’m sure he’s just holed up under a tree waiting the storm out,” said Maggie. She gave Rick a comforting smile and patted his shoulder. Rick tried to smile too, but he still couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong. Daryl wasn’t the kind of man who was scared of a little rain.

Rick decided to take watch that night. He paced back and forth on the guard tower, occasionally scanning the fence line with the scope. He couldn’t see very much past the rain, but that didn’t stop him. Glenn came to switch off with him a little after midnight, but Rick sent him back to the prison. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyways. Glenn promised him that if Daryl wasn’t back by daybreak, they would send a group out to look for him.

The hours ticked by and there was still no sign of the hunter. The rain gradually slowed down and finally stopped about an hour before sunrise. Once sunlight started to peak over the edge of the tree line and there was still no Daryl, Rick knew they needed to go look for him. Once someone came to relieve him from the guard tower, Rick went into the prison and gathered a small group: Maggie, Glenn, and Carol. They gathered a few weapons and went on their way. Carl had begged to come and help, but Rick didn’t want a second person to worry about while they were out in the woods, so he told him to stay put.

Once they reached the tree line, they spread out just enough to be within shouting distance of one another. They scanned the woods for almost an hour before Rick heard Glenn yell. “Rick! Rick! Over here!!!” Rick ran as fast as he could in the direction Glenn’s voice and within a minute he found where they were at.

Daryl was laying on the ground, passed out, with a big tree branch laying across his torso. One end of the branch looked singed and Rick looked up to find a similar mark on the tree next to him. It looked like the tree had got hit by lightning and a branch broke off, which then fell on Daryl. Rick felt a mix of relief and fear suddenly hit him. He was happy to have found the man, but he didn’t know how much damage the branch had done.

The branch was heavier than it looked and it took three of them to lift it off Daryl. As soon as they moved it, Rick knelt down next to the hunter and grabbed his hand. Daryl’s chest was moving in quick, short breaths and fear seized Rick again. “C’mon Daryl. Stay with us. Stay with me. Please,” Rick pleaded as they got ready to move him back to the prison. 


	13. Chapter 13

Glenn grabbed Daryl’s legs while Rick grabbed his arms. He tried to be as gentle as he could, not knowing where most of the damage was. They carried him back to the prison and as soon as they got inside, everyone jumped up to help. A bed was cleared almost instantly and they laid him down.

Hershel was by the hunter’s side in an instant, calling for someone to pull Daryl’s shirt off. Rick grabbed his knife and cut it off the unconscious man’s torso. Rick couldn’t help but think how Daryl would be pissed at that. It was one of his favorite shirts.

He watched as Hershel felt around Daryl’s torso, which was already dark with bruising. He had Rick pull the other man onto his side as he checked his back and listened to his breathing. Rick tried to be patient, but he needed to know what was wrong with the hunter. “Well?” he asked Hershel.

“I don’t think the ribs are broken, just bruised. We can’t be completely sure if there’s any internal damage. His breathing is short and a little shallow so we need to watch for any change in that. The best we can do is prop him up to make sure he can get as much air into his lungs as he can.” Rick was frustrated by the man’s reply. There had to be something they could do.

“Should we wrap his ribs? Find pain medicine? Anything?” Rick tried to hide the desperation in his voice. He felt completely helpless.

“Wrapping the ribs could restrict air flow. When he wakes up he’ll probably be coughing enough as is, so we need him to be able to breath. We should have some pain meds for him to take to when he wakes up. I’ll go check my stores.” And with that Hershel shuffled away on his crutch.

Rick stood by the bed and wrapped his hand around Daryl’s. He watched his chest rise and fall and glanced at his eyes every now and again, willing them to open. After a while, Rick wasn’t sure how long he had been standing there, he felt Carl come up behind him and pull him into a chair that he had moved by the bed.

Rick took Daryl’s boots and pants off and covered him with a blanket. People filtered in and out to check on both of the men, but Rick mostly kept quiet. Night fell and Daryl still hadn’t woken up. Hershel came back a few times and checked on the hunter. His breathing had gotten a little better and that made Rick slightly less worried. People went to bed, but Rick stayed by Daryl. It was quiet and with nobody around, Rick felt like he could speak his mind.

He leaned forward and put his forehead to Daryl’s. “Hey you. You better wake up. ‘Cause I don’t plan on losing ya. I didn’t go through all this just to lose the one person who suddenly gave me hope again.” Rick placed a small kiss on the side Daryl’s head as he stroked a hand through his shaggy mop of hair. “You know how much you mean to me…..”

Rick suddenly felt exhausted and laid his head down on the edge of the bed, resting his cheek against Daryl’s hand. His kissed the other man’s palm and whispered, “I love you Daryl Dixon….” He eyes felt heavy and he started to doze off.

Rick woke a few hours later to a tickle at his cheek. He went to brush it off but felt a hand instead. Not just any hand, but a moving hand. Rick bolted upright and looked at the man lying on the bed. Daryl’s eyes were open and the hunter gave a short laugh at how Rick reacted to being woken up. His laugh ended in a cough that caused him to grimace from the pain.

Rick grabbed the bottle of water that they had sitting by the bed and brought it to the other man’s lips. After Daryl took a few sips, Rick asked, “How ya feeling?”

“Like a big ass branch fell on my chest,” the hunter replied, and he rolled his eyes. Rick smiled at the other man’s sarcasm and hoped that meant he didn’t feel too bad. Before he could stop himself, he leaned over and gave the man a big kiss, making sure to steer clear of the injured ribs.

“Are we doing better then?” Rick heard from behind them. He turned and saw Hershel walk up to the bed. He gave Daryl another look over and came to the same conclusion as the other times. “The bruising should heal within a few weeks, but you’ll have to take it easy. You better make sure of that,” the older man said, looking at Rick. “The most you can do is rest and take pain meds.”

“Nah. Don’t need that shit,” and Daryl tried to wave off the idea of taking any kind of medication. Then another fit of coughing racked his body and his face contorted in pain. Hershel gave Rick a knowing look, one that said, “You better force this man to take some pain medicine,” and he walked away from the two men.

“I know you wanna be a big man and tough it out, but you’re gonna take some of this medicine, whether you like it or not.” Rick put his hands on his hips to let the hunter know he meant business. Daryl gave one of his typical shrugs and sighed, indicating that he had been defeated. “ Good. Now let me go get you something to eat first. I don’t want you taking this on an empty stomach.”

Rick turned to go grab a bowl of soup, something easy for the hunter to eat, but before he could make it a foot away, Daryl grabbed his hand. Rick stopped and turned back around to see what the other man needed. Daryl had a flustered look on his face and he wouldn’t quite meet Rick’s eye. Rick let Daryl take his time, not wanting to push the man after everything he’d been through. Finally, Daryl managed to say, “I…I...Oh hell. I love you too.”


	14. Chapter 14

It had been three weeks since Daryl had gotten hurt. Rick tried to make him rest as much as he could, but the other man was stubborn and went back to hunting and going on runs after only a week. The few signs he had left of the accident were a couple light yellow bruises that scattered his ribs. Thankfully the past few weeks had been relatively calm at the prison and their crops had even started to produce a little food, which put everyone in a good mood.

Rick walked to his cell after evening guard duty and once inside it, he yanked his off his shirt and kicked out of his boots. He stretched out on the cot that he now shared with Daryl, the hunter never slept in his own cell anymore, and picked up a book to flip through while he waited on Daryl to finish his shower. He wanted to join the other man, but they only showered together in the early morning when they could be sure no one would walk in on them.

He tried to focus on the book but he realized he read the same paragraph three times and it still hadn’t sunk in. He tossed the tattered paperback onto the floor and sighed. There was only one thing on Rick’s mind and it wasn’t what was in that book. It had only been a day or so since him and Daryl had fooled around, but that’s really all they had done. It wasn’t that Rick wasn’t happy with the things they did; it took them maybe two days after the accident before they were back to pawing at each other, but there was only so much you could do with hands and mouths. Rick couldn’t help but want more, want to take it to the next level. He just didn’t know how to bring this up to Daryl.

It’s not something he’d ever done before, not even with a woman, but he knew with Daryl, it could be something special. He wasn’t exactly sure who would do what, or even which one he wanted to do but he’d be willing to try if the other man was willing. These thoughts kept floating around in his head as he lay there. Finally, he heard the blanket pull back and Daryl walked in.

Rick’s thoughts turned even naughtier and his pants got tight at the sight of the hunter. Daryl hair was wet and slicked back and he was shirtless. He had just thrown his jeans back on after the shower but he had left them unbuttoned and unzipped and Rick couldn’t help but stare. Daryl hung up his towel and tossed his shirt in the corner.

“Gotta staring problem, Sheriff?” Daryl teased as he climbed over Rick onto the cot. Rick just smiled and wrapped his arms around the hunter and brought him in for a kiss. Rick almost got lost in the embrace but pulled back after a moment. Daryl gave him a questioning look.

“I’ve been thinking…..Have you wanted to do more…?” Rick asked with mild apprehension.

“More? Like what?” Daryl replied. He started to kiss Rick’s neck and reached a hand down to unbutton his pants.

Rick laughed and pulled his hand away for a second to get the other man’s attention. “I think you know what I mean. More. Not just hands and mouths.” And this time Rick was the one to kiss Daryl’s neck as he pulled him in tight and ground their hips together.

Daryl gave a soft moan and enjoyed the sensation for a minute before he spoke. “I mean…sure… I’ve thought about it.” He looked down as he spoke; typical for him when he talked about things that made him nervous. “You ever done anything like that? You know, with a woman? And don’t we need somethin’…to…ya’ know….to do that with?” The hunter actually started blushing a little after his last sentence.

“Well, you know I’ve been with women, but not like that. But I’m willing to try anything with you. And….” Rick turned over and rifled through a bag he had sitting against the wall. When he turned back over, he had a small bottle of lube in his hand. “I actually grabbed this on the last run. You know…just in case.”

“You slick bastard…” Daryl laughed and grabbed the bottle to take a closer look at it.

“Well….not yet. But I could be…” and Rick brought Daryl in for a deep kiss, trying to send his need for Daryl through his body and into the other man. Rick broke the kiss and looked into Daryl’s eyes. The hunter looked every bit as lust filled as Rick felt. “So what do you think?”

Daryl gave one his typical short nods and practically dragged Rick back in for more. Rick loved how worked up the hunter could get just from kissing. They explored each other’s mouths for a few minutes before they both decided to pull their pants off. They threw the clothing onto the floor and returned to kissing. Daryl started to work rough kisses down Rick’s neck and Rick reached a hand down to grab Daryl’s ass and brought the other man’s hips to his own. Rick gave a small moan as their hard cocks made contact.

Rick grabbed the back of Daryl’s head and brought him back up so their lips could connect again. He then grabbed Daryl’s hand that was squeezing Rick’s side and brought it down to his full erection. Rick then took Daryl’s own long member in his hands and they stroked each other in time, just like the first time they were together.

Rick wasn’t sure how much longer he could last, so he pulled away from the kiss and ceased his hand. “So how do you wanna do this?” he asked.

Daryl gave a small shrug. “Don’t know. What do you think?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“Well, you’re a bit longer than me. I don’t know if I could take all that. I can’t even fit it all in my mouth,” and he gave a small, nervous chuckle.

Daryl rolled his eyes and bit his lip for a second as he was thinking. “Okay,” he finally replied and he shifted Rick’s body on top of his as he lay flat against the mattress. Rick wanted to make this as pleasurable as possible for the hunter as he got situated between his legs. He scooted down some and started to stroke Daryl again.

He brought his lips down to the hunter’s stiff cock and started to lick and suck on the head as he continued to work his hand up and down the shaft. Rick took him into his mouth as far as he could, still sucking and lapping at the hunter’s member. Daryl had started to let soft moans escape his mouth and he reached a hand down to grip into Rick’s hair. “Rick…” Daryl mumbled and Rick looked up to see Daryl handing him the small bottle.

Rick pulled off of Daryl’s cock with a pop and took the lube. He was still nervous but now he was more excited. He put a little onto his fingers and slowly placed them at Daryl’s entrance. He used one hand to continue jerking Daryl’s length as he gently slid one finger into Daryl. Rick had to bite his lip to keep from groaning out loud from the tight warmth that engulfed his finger.

His own dick got twice as hard at just the thought of being inside Daryl. He slowly worked his finger back and forth and he brought his mouth back down onto Daryl’s length. He kept his eyes trained on the hunter’s face to gauge his reaction. The other man’s breath had picked up and he put a hand back into Rick’s hair, gripping him tight.

Once Rick felt like Daryl had loosened up a little, he slipped a second finger in. Daryl gave an audible groan at this and fisted Rick’s hair even tighter. Rick started out gentle but soon he was pushing both fingers deep and after one particularly deep plunge, Daryl’s hips practically lifted off the bed. “Fuck!” the hunter practically yelled.

Rick brought his mouth up quickly and asked, “You okay?”

“Stop talkin’ and do that again,” the hunter replied as he brought Rick’s head back down. Rick almost laughed but he did as he was told. Daryl couldn’t help but moan every time Rick hit that sweet spot. After a minute of that, Rick pulled his fingers out and pulled himself up. He took some lube and rubbed it on his own stiff length as he aligned his body with Daryl’s.

Daryl bit his lip again in a nervous way, so Rick gave him a deep, reassuring kiss as he put the head of his cock at the hunter’s tight entrance. Rick took his time and slowly pushed in. Daryl squeezed Rick’s arms as they continued to kiss. Even after his fingers, the hunter was still snug. Rick slowly pulled out and pushed back in, getting a little further this time.

By the time he was all the way in, Rick was gripping Daryl’s body just as tight, almost trembling. Daryl felt so good around Rick’s cock that he hoped he didn’t empty into the hunter right then and there. The other man could sense Rick’s eagerness, so he held him for a minute and stroked his hair to calm him back down.

Once he felt like he was in control again, Rick pulled almost all the way out and then gently thrusted all the way back in. That earned him a low moan from Daryl and Rick grinned at the sound. He started to set a steady rhythm and he had to bite his lip to hold back his own moans. Daryl brought his hands up to Rick’s hips and started pulling him in faster and harder; Daryl always liked it a little bit rougher.

Rick quickened his pace and started to thrust harder as the hunter tried to hold back on making any loud sounds. Daryl brought his hand between their sweat slicked bodies and started to work his own cock at a fast pace. Rick looked down and in only a moment, Daryl started to shoot across both their stomachs. Rick leaned down and kissed the hunter to help muffle any moans he made as his orgasm shot through him.

Watching Daryl come undone was all Rick needed and he found himself falling over the edge right after Daryl, spilling every drop he had into the hunter. He slowly stopped thrusting and both men tried to catch their breath. After a minute, Rick gently pulled out. The other man winced slightly but he gave Rick a quick kiss to reassure him that he was fine. Rick grabbed a spare towel and cleaned them both up.

Afterwards Daryl turned to face the wall and Rick lay behind him, wrapping his arm around the hunter’s torso and placing small kisses on his back. “I love you,” he whispered and squeezed him tight.

Daryl leaned back into him and mumbled, “Love you too.” The hunter was a man of few words, but just the fact that he was willing to say those three meant the world to Rick. He wrapped a blanket over them and he slowly started to doze off. Weeks ago, he would have been worried about the nightmares that were going to plague him, but he hadn’t had any since the accident. Rick guessed that he had finally found a way to get rid of his nightmares, and that way was Daryl Dixon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter. I just want to give a huge thanks to everyone who gave me awesome feedback. This was my first long fic and I definitely struggled with it at times. Everyone here is so awesome and here's to more wonderful Rickyl!


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